Japanese-American Internment During World War II

[Anonymous]

The seminar was a needed refresher on Asian history and gave me a chance to think about ways I could incorporate Asia into my curriculum, whether it is in a direct or in an indirect manner. A direct way of incorporating Asia into my lesson planning would be to construct a unit based on the standards that need to be covered like for example Japanese-American Internment or the Communist Revolution in China. A few of the ideas that came to mind during the seminar as way to include Asia in my curriculum more directly was using manga as a way to tell the story of Commodore Perry’s visit to Japan or comparing and exploring Confucian and Communist values in one-minute debates or even better having students draw conclusions about different Asian countries based on their analysis of maps and population charts. An indirect way of incorporating Asia into my curriculum is by using WeiWei’s art as a way of introducing U.S. Supreme Court cases that have to do with obscenity in Government or using Chinese theme parks as case studies in Economics or even better while covering the Industrial Revolution use a documentary about the mistreatment of Chinese workers in factories as way of linking the past with the present. The class gave me a chance to get my creative juices flowing and just have a chance to think about all the ways that I can use Asia in my classroom as either a center of the lesson or as an ancillary part of the lesson.

The seminar also will give me and has given me invaluable resources that I could use in my classroom. The guest lecturers provided me with all kinds of resources that I could use from websites to books that I could read and research to films that my students or I could watch to add to our understanding of the topics at hand. Aside from the resources that were provided from the guest lecturers, like Dr. Yamashita are the resources that I got from Dr. Dube or the forum itself. For example from the Education About Asia website I found the Sample Articles and Supplemental Materials sections of particular interest. I found two really good lesson plans just to mention a few. One was Rachel McDevitt's lesson plan, "CONFUCIANISM: Understanding and Applying The Analects of Confucius" and the other was Deborah Pellikan's lesson plan, "The Chinese Cultural Revolution: Dynamic Times, Dramatic Lessons for Today's Kids." The people on the forum are great resource as well, like for example while exploring the website I saw a posting from mhouchin who mentioned a website called Asia for Educators that is an extraordinary resource with all kinds of lesson plans and primary resources related to Asia.

The most valuable aspect of the seminar is just the experience of being able to learn more about Asia. I enjoyed being a student and just being a part of the learning process, instead of leading it. As I sat there learning, I received many opportunities to think about all the ways I can use the information I was being exposed to in my classroom and ultimately this experience will benefit as well as my students.
edited by mcovarrubias on 1/4/2012
edited by mcovarrubias on 1/4/2012

[Anonymous]

Great clips from You Tube although you may want to add more information about the role of Asians, Latinos and Native Americans as underappreciated minority groups who participated in WWII. In addition, you may want to add a clip or information about "Windtalkers". The US military used the Navaho Native American language, which was taught by Navaho servicemen, in order to communicate in the Japanese theatre of war. The Japanese could not decipher the Navaho Code (unless a Navaho soldier was catured and tortured for it) thus allowing Americans to speak freely about strategies and coordinates while on the battlefield. When American soldiers used this strategy, they had a tactical and communicative advantage against the Japanese.

You may want to compare and contrast this with the Allies who captured the Enigma Code Machine, through which all German strategies and military action were communicated. When the Allies captured Enigma and deciphered it - that was the turning point in WWII on the European front.

For each lesson, you may want to add a graphic organizer such as a Venn Diagram, Web map, or compare and contrast with two columns.
C. Watson

[Anonymous]

If you decide to cover Commodore Perry's visit to Japan, you may want to contrast that with China's naval technology. Chinese maritime vessels dwarfed those of Commodore Perry's. Today, American military advisors are keeping a close watch on China's new naval destroyers. Comparing, contrasting and debating Confucianism with legalism and Buddism are also great topics to incorporate into your lessons. Look online for teacher/student created games such as "The Karma Game" to help students understand the tenents of Buddism. Modify the game at will for Confucianism as well.

When you incorporate East Asia in your classroom, will you emphasize its impact on American society?

[Anonymous]

Yeah thanks for the suggestions, cwatson, which I will use when I teach another unit that encompasses groups like Women, Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Native-Americans and Jews during World War II. This particular lesson was supposed to be just about Japanese-American Internment, not about all minority groups during the war. As far as my essay goes I teach 11th grade and 10th grade, so I am limited to what I can cover, but whenever possible I will try to sneak more information about Asia. If I am covering Chinese immigration to the U.S., then it is inevitable and you must discuss the impact of Chinese immigration on American society, but if you are covering let's say the Communist Revolution in China, then in that case the impact on American society is much more limited, unless you mention how it contributed to a general fear of the Communists taking over the world that was prevalent in the 1950's.
edited by mcovarrubias on 1/7/2012

[Anonymous]

A comprehensive lesson plan. I think as a link to prior knowledge, the Alien and Sedition Acts (1798) and the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) could be mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Let me start out by saying I think this is a very solid mini-unit on Japanese internment and it would suffice without any revisions or additions. But since we are compelled to offer suggestions for improvements, I do have a few. First, when you do your Human Barometer exercise, you might want to consider warming students up more by giving them several other examples which are sure to get them talking. For example, While the U.S. is fighting the war on drugs, should it put Colombian-Americans under surveillance? Or, While the U.S. was dealing with what it deemed to be internal threats to national security, such as the Black Panthers in the 1960s, should it have put all African-Americans under surveillance? You might consider introducing such topics as discussion items before proceeding with what you already have. Second, students might become more involved in the Japanese internment newsreel if they did their own. You might consider having students prepare and record a video clip with their own rationale and justification for interning Japanese-Americans. Also, some students might record video clips supporting the Japanese-American perspective, similar to what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) might do. Third, you might want to consider having students analyze Ken Burns' documentary, Made Into an Enemy, to determine if it is propaganda designed to persuade them to accept a certain point of view. Also, ask students to consider how this documentary might have been viewed by the American public if it was aired during the time period that Japanese-Americans were being interned. Finally, if you wanted to extend the lesson and have students immerse themselves deeper into the issues raised by Korematsu, you might consider having them do a mock trial where both sides are represented.

[Anonymous]

[font=Times]Mcovarrubias introducing your lesson with a [/font]Human Barometer is a great way to start it off and your YouTube selection is excellent. I will be using your lesson this spring with my students. I definitely agree with using Arguments/Counterarguments to present our students with a more balanced interpretation of the past. Since we teach at the same school I suggest that we ought to try to organize a fieldtrip to the Japanese American Museum located in Little Tokyo. I had the opportunity to take my students a couple of years ago and the experience for many of them was surreal – they could not believe that they were literally standing in the location from where many American citizens and residents were removed from. Afterwards, we can try incorporating a lesson by where both of our classes come together and work on a shared project. Let’s talk.

[Anonymous]

Fantastic lesson, Mcovarrubias! After reading your lesson plan, I was reminded that Fred Korematsu Day is coming up in a couple of weeks (Jan. 30th). That said, have you explored the Korematsu Institute website? It is full of resources that may be of value to your lesson plan:

http://korematsuinstitute.org/

To echo glopez, I have taken students to the Japanese American Museum and it has always been a hit! Seeing as how Manzanar is quite the drive away, this is a wonderful place to visit to really bring the Japanese American experience to life. The National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, right across the Japanese American Museum, is another great place to visit. They specialize in various forums and run programs that revolve around the issues presented in your lesson. Check it out here:

http://www.ncdemocracy.org/

[Anonymous]

I heard from a Naval buddy of mine that the Chinese bought up all of the US old submarines a while back. I wonder why. That puts the Naval Submarine Warfare on high alert with China.

[Anonymous]

Now imagine if China was able to make enough submarines to invade America. That is a scary thought, considering the manpower they have compared to our population, which is tiny in comparison.

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

EAST ASIA AND THE UNITED STATES

USCI/NCTA Fall 2011 Seminar – UTLA

October 4 to December 3, 2011

Lesson Plan: The Enemy Within

Grade: 11

Class: United States History

Topic: Japanese Internment During World War II

Objective: Students will learn about Japanese Internment through evaluating, analyzing and discussing primary and secondary sources.

Standards:
History–Social Science Content Standards for California
11.7 Students analyze America’s participation in World War II.
5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of America) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitler’s atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.)

National Center for History in the Schools Content Standards
United States Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II
Standard 3: The causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home and abroad, and its reshaping of the U.S. role in world affairs.
C: Evaluate the internment of Japanese Americans during the war and assess the implication for civil liberties. [Evaluate the implementation of a decision]

Day One:

Activity One: Human Barometer

Time: 25– 30 minutes

I will begin the unit by doing a Human Barometer to gage students’ initial opinions of what to do with people who might be considered disloyal to the United States during times of war. The question to be considered in the Human Barometer is the following: While the United States is fighting the war on terror, should the United States government put Muslim-Americans under surveillance? The students who are against will stand on one side of the room and those for will stand on the other side of the room. Those students who are undecided will stand in between the other two sides. Allow students to give their differing opinions. Allow students to move to another side if they change their minds about the issue during the discussion. I will ask follow up questions and present possible arguments that have not been brought up. At the end of this activity I will ask the students to write down their final opinion and have them back it up with examples or facts.

Activity Two: Argument/Counterargument

Time: 25 minutes

Students will watch a newsreel at -9 minutes about Japanese Internment that was released by the U.S. government to explain Japanese Internment. Have the students explain the U.S. government rationale and justification for interning Japanese-Americans in camps. Have the students provide a counterargument in which they provide a rationale and a justification for not interning Japanese-Americans during World War II. The will create their own graphic organizer or T-Chart that on one side will say Argument: The U.S. Government and the other side will say, Counterargument: What I think…

HW: In order to determine whether or not Japanese Americans in the internment camps were "loyal" to the United State, Japanese Americans were forced to answer a loyalty questionnaire before they were allowed to leave the camps in order to resettle away from the West Coast. The questionnaire divided families and the community.

Research the War Relocation Authority’s loyalty questionnaire at http://densho.org/learning/spice/lesson5/5reading5.asp in particular Questions 27 and 28 — and have students discuss why the questionnaire was problematic and divisive. Also, I will ask my students how they would respond if placed in a similar situation.

Day Two:

Activity One: Video and Documentary Analysis

Time: 25 minutes

Students will watch an excerpt, Made Into an Enemy at - 7 minutes] from the Ken Burns’ documentary, The War, which discusses Japanese Internment. After the excerpt is over students will be given a copy of the order that was posted around major Western cities with large Japanese-American populations, like Los Angeles and San Francisco. Students will use the document analysis method called SOAPS to examine this primary source.

Activity Two: Gallery Walk and What I learned…

Time: 30 minutes

Students will walk around looking at primary sources such as photographs, poetry, letters, postcards and statistical data that are related to Japanese Internment. Students will have post-its with them and will leave either a comment or a question on two of each type of document. Once they sit down, they will comment more extensively about they learned about Japanese Internment based on only the documents. They will comment on one photograph, one letter, one poem and one statistical chart.

HW: Students will explore the Internment through the Internet at http://www.asianamericanmedia.org/jainternment. This website uses video clips to examine many aspects and consequences of Japanese American Internment and will give students a chance to do their own investigation. They write about their favorite video clip and what they leaned from it.

Activity One: Post Gallery Walk Discussion, Q/A Session

Time: 15 – 20 minutes

Students will have a chance to share out loud some of their thoughts, feelings, ideas and impressions about Japanese Internment with the entire class.

Activity Two: Korematsu v. United States

Time: 35 minutes.

Students will read about the background of the case and will create their own T-Chart, in which on one side they will write Arguments for Korematsu and the other Arguments for the United States. They will also write their opinion in regards to the case at the bottom of the graphic organizer. The decision of the case will be passed out and read silently. In pairs, students will decide whether they think the court was right or wrong in regards to their decision.

HW: Students will write a poem, a letter or draw a picture that will be directed at United States government in protest of Japanese Internment.

Note: Mr. De Leon and Mr. Traylor will receive all handouts and materials related to this lesson via email, because the file containing these documents was too big to fit on the forum.
edited by Clay Dube on 8/3/2012
edited by mcovarrubias on 2/27/2013

[Anonymous]

Wow this is pretty good. Your human barometer activity starts with something very well known for everyone today so your students should be able to take sides on this issue. In connection to your question of surveillance, currently we have the issue of censorship in China; where the government has blocked key words in connection to the massacre that happened 6-4-89. Good luck with your lesson, I think it will be well taken.

[Author]

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